Unfinished Business
by LuvPurple99
Summary: Sutton Mercer finally finds a way to communicate with her sister Emma Paxton... and her friends. Will Sutton be able to help solve her own murder from beyond the grave? After all, Sutton Mercer never leaves Unfinished Business. Rated for some language.
1. Chapter 1: Sister Talk

**A/N: **Halloween time! This story is just going to be very short – not quite a oneshot, but not quite a full story either. I'm thinking maybe 5 chapters max. But I promised a _The Lying Game_ fanfic, so I will give you one!

Basically, this takes place *SPOILER ALERT* before Emma and Sutton find out that the Twitter Twins and the L Game club are innocent. Also in this story, I thought it would be interesting if Sutton had a way of communicating with her old 'friends' from beyond the grave. So watch out for those Classic Sutton moments. Also, I am trying to stay loyal to the style the book was written in (first person for Sutton, third person for Emma) so I hope I don't confused you! Hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Lying Game_ or any of its characters or plot lines. They belong to their creator and author Sara Shepard and HarperTeen. If you read it in the book, it's not mine. I am not doing this for money, only for fun and practice.

**Unfinished Business**

**Chapter 1: Sister Talk**

I watched once again as my long-lost twin sister Emma Paxton rose to take on another day of my life. I still couldn't believe that I was dead – and a ghost somehow tethered to Emma's life. In some ways, I felt creepy. Who wants their dead twin watching their every move? But in some ways, I felt lucky – I never knew Emma existed until the day I woke up in the afterlife, if you could call it that. This was my only chance to get to know my sister – from beyond the grave.

Emma sat on the edge of the teal and black clad bed and stretched. She looked around the room, still in shock about what had happened. The letters on the wall that spelled _SUTTON_ were a constant reminder that this wasn't her life – it was her sister's. Her dead sister's. Whenever she thought about it, it hit her like a jet plane. A few weeks ago, she was just your average foster kid – working at whatever job she could find in Las Vegas, Nevada, trying to be the perfect foster child. That is until her pervert of a foster brother Travis discovered a snuff film online. In the video, it showed a girl that looked just like her being strangled with a necklace. He then proceeded to frame her for stealing his mother Clarice's money. Emma decided that night she had to leave – and discover why that girl in the snuff film looked just like her.

Emma spent most of that night searching the wed. She had typed _SuttoninAZ_ into a search bar, that being the name of the snuff film. She found a number of sites, including Sutton's profile. After messaging her, they decided to meet in a park near Sutton's house.

Only they never met. Sutton's friends, Madeline Vega, Charlotte Chamberlaine, Gabriella and Lilianna Fiorello, and Sutton's adoptive sister, Laurel Mercer, had kidnapped Emma as a prank and taken her to a party, thinking she was Sutton. The next morning Emma found a note that told her Sutton was dead and if she didn't play along and live Sutton's life, she would be next.

Fast forward to now: everyone was a suspect. The only person Emma could remotely trust was Ethan Landry, the mysterious stargazing boy from across the street. He was the only one who knew Emma wasn't Sutton. It killed Emma that Sutton's own adoptive parents didn't know. How could a family not know their own child?

It killed me too, all over again. My mom and dad didn't know I was dead, so how could they miss me? And Laurel… well, she was a suspect. It made me sick to think my little sister could be my murderer. And my friends, they could have been part of it. They were the ones who had strangled me in that snuff video – it was all a Lying Game prank. The Lying Game (or L Game, as I like to refer to it in secret) is an exclusive club I made up for me and my friends. Only four members allowed: me, Laurel, Char, and Mads. The goal is to out-prank each other. And boy did they out-prank me – they almost killed me with that strangling stunt. Maybe they meant to. They didn't seem like they were going to stop until Ethan showed up and saved me.

Emma pulled on one of Sutton's silk robes and padded down to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she retrieved the orange juice and poured herself a big glass.

"So, Sutton, you ready for the sleepover tonight?" Emma jumped at the sound of Laurel's voice. Emma turned to Sutton's sister.

"Uh, yeah. So ready," Emma replied, still shaking.

"Why so jumpy this morning?" Laurel asked, joining Emma at the center island.

"I'm not. You just scared the crap out of me, that's all," Emma covered. Laurel just shrugged and took an apple from the basket in the center of the island.

"So I was thinking that tonight we could come up with another Lying Game prank," Emma ventured.

"Can't. Gabby and Lili are gonna be at the sleepover. They're not in the club, remember?" Laurel replied, taking a bite of the apple.

"Maybe we could prank _them_," Emma said.

"Maybe… But we'd have to talk to Char and Mads about it," Laurel pointed out. "Maybe they could come over early?"

"Sure," Emma said. She got up off the bar stool and headed back upstairs to Sutton's room. Suddenly exhausted, Emma collapsed into the computer chair.

"I need you Sutton," Emma said to the air. "I can't do this alone."

I wanted so badly to help my sister. Then my eyes fell to the computer next to Emma. The instant message screen was up. Was it possible…?

_Bleep. _

Emma looked up at the computer screen, expecting the IM to be from Char or Mads. But it wasn't from either.

_You don't have to do this alone._

"Oh my God," Emma whispered. She quickly typed something back into the screen.

_Who is this? _

Emma waited for the reply. When it came back, the screen name was changed from _Unknown_ to _SuttoninAZ_.

_SuttoninAZ: I'm your sister. Before you ask, yes, I'm dead. I don't know how I'm able to do this either. _

_MercerDiva18: How do I know it's you? _

_SuttoninAZ: Ask me anything, Emma. _

_MercerDiva18: Where did I live before I came here?_

_SuttoninAZ: Las Vegas, Nevada, with Clarice and that pervert, Travis. God, Emma, I'm so sorry. I'll help you anyway I can… but I can't remember much._

_MercerDiva18: I'm just glad to know you're alright… sorta. _

_SuttoninAZ: Not get your butt off the computer. You got work to do. My room is a mess ;)_

Emma laughed to herself. Sutton was okay. Then something hit her.

"I just talked to my dead sister," Emma whispered. Well, at least her life was never boring.

But Sutton was right. She had work to do.

**A/N: **Hope you like it so far! Please Review! Thanks!

-LP99


	2. Chapter 2: Sutton's Sleepover Mystery

**A/N: **A new update! Thanks to Literati Lover for the review :) Here comes a new chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Lying Game_ or any of its characters or plot lines. They belong to their creator and author Sara Shepard and HarperTeen. If you read it in the book, it's not mine. I am not doing this for money, only for fun and practice.

**Chapter 2: Sutton's Sleepover Mystery**

Emma stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her sienna hair had been braided on the side, a colorful hair band tying the end tight. She wore a bright Caribbean blue tank top and white terrycloth boy shorts. She definitely looked ready for a sleepover with her best friends.

But they weren't _her_ best friends. They were Sutton's.

I shook my head at my sister. Obviously from what I remembered and from what she found out on Laurel's computer, they weren't really my best friends. What kind of friends would almost strangle you to death for a prank? Just 'cause it was funny? No, I realized now, observing everything and everyone in the afterlife, that they hadn't been my best friends for a long time. Laurel was jealous of me and wanted to _be_ me. Just look at her room – a twin, knock-off version of mine, right down to the pictures on the wall. And Charlotte – well, she still harbored some hard feelings from when I allegedly 'stole' Garrett, my apparently ex-boyfriend now that Emma broke up with him after he tried to get with her at her eighteenth birthday party, from her. And Mads, well I think she still thinks I broke her missing brother Thayer's heart and am the reason he ran away. And then we have the Twitter Twins: they were angry I haven't accepted them into the fabulous, exclusive club that is The Lying Game. Each one had reasons to kill me. And maybe, one of them did.

Emma slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops and padded down the stairs, texting Ethan simultaneously.

_Have something major to tell you. Meet me at the tennis courts tomorrow at ten?_

_-Emma_

It took a few seconds for Ethan to send back a reply.

_Sounds great, Emma. Have fun tonight. _

_-Ethan_

Butterflies soared through Emma's stomach. Whenever he called her by her real name (or just talked to her for that matter) she couldn't help but feel breathless and woozy.

I smiled at Emma. Seemed like my twin had a little crush on a certain boy named Ethan.

Emma heard the doorbell ring and went to unlock the front door. Char and Mads stood on the front porch, pillows and bags in tow.

"Hey Sutton! Super excited for tonight?" Charlotte asked.

"For sure!" Emma replied.

"So Laurel had the greatest idea for a prank against the Twitter Twits," Mads chimed in.

"Uh, an ah-mazing prank!" Char clarified. Footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway, and within seconds, Laurel appeared.

"Laur! I _love_ how you're wearing your hair!" Madeline squealed.

"Thanks!" Laurel squealed back.

_God_, is this what we did every time we saw each other? _That_ could get annoying.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. Emma opened the door to reveal the Twitter Twins standing there, creepy, preppy girl smiles plastered on their faces.

"Ah! Sutton! Thanks _so_ much for inviting us! I _knew_ you'd come around! So when do we get our membership cards?" Gabby was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. Char, Mads, Laurel, and Emma all looked at each other.

"Sorry," Charlotte spoke up. "No more than four members. Besides, you don't just get accepted into the club. You have to _earn_ it." Gabby and Lili's faces fell for a split second, but they quickly regained their cool-girl composure, secretive smiles on their faces.

"Oh we'll earn it all right," Lili said, quiet enough that only Gabby could hear what she was saying.

"What was that?" Madeline asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Gabby said. Her tone sent shivers up Emma's spine.

"What are we waiting for? It's almost seven, and the 'rents are out for the night seeing some opera downtown," Laurel said, faking a yawn. "Break out the booze!"

Emma, still new to how the clique worked, nervously followed the rest upstairs to her room. The girls sat around in a circle, each taking a small plastic cup filled with a clear liquid. Emma sniffed, the alcohol tickling her nose.

"Okay, ladies. Two truths and a lie. If we guess the lie right away, the liar has to drink up," Charlottle explained.

"I'll start!" Laurel raised her hand excitedly. "Okay… I've never skinny dipped, I've never even been near a public bathroom, and I'm terrified of spiders."

"The lie is that you're terrified of spiders!" Lili immediately piped up.

"Wrong. Spiders don't freak me out that much. I've never really skinny dipped. Drink up, ladies!" Laurel announced proudly. Everyone in the group except Laurel took a sip from their cup.

"Sutton, you go now," Madeline prodded.

"Okay…" Emma wracked her brain for something Sutton would and wouldn't do. "I have the largest file at the police station, I have a twin sister, and I wish I lived in Paris."

"You don't have a twin sister, Sutton," Mads said. "Next time, try a little harder." Emma blushed and remained quiet. A few long beats passed before Charlotte spoke again.

"Drink up, Sweetie, we guessed your lie," Charlotte said in a faux-sweet voice. Emma, forgetting that was _supposed_ to be her lie, took a sip from her cup, already feeling tipsy. The game continued, and Emma learned more about Sutton's friends in an hour than she had learned in almost a month.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few hours later, Emma slipped away to the bathroom, while the other girls continued to watch the movie that had been put in. Each girl was slightly tired, and very tipsy from two truths and a lie. Until their phones beeped. Laurel, Charlotte, Madeline, Gabriella, and Lilianna each stared at the text on their phone screen that sent chills up their spine.

_I may be dead, but I'm not finished with you yet. It won't be that easy. _

To most of the group the text didn't make any sense.

But to a few of them, the meaning was clear as day.

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed it! Update soon (after I update my other stories first)! Please Review! Thanks!

-LP99


	3. Chapter 3: Double Meanings

**A/N: **I am so so sorry for all the late updates! I've been super busy later, but all my stories will be updated (I promise not to leave any of them unfinished – I hate it when that happens, so I won't do it to you haha). Anyway, thanks to all of you who have favorite this or put this story or me on your alert lists. Also thanks to those who have read or review. On with the story!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Lying Game_ or any of its characters or plot lines. They belong to their creator and author Sara Shepard and HarperTeen. If you read it in the book, it's not mine. I am not doing this for money, only for fun and practice.

**Chapter 3: Double Meanings**

When Emma returned from the bathroom, there was a visible change in the room. Charlotte jumped up from where she was sitting on the sleeping bag and charged over to Emma.

"Sutton, what is this?" Charlotte asked, shoving the phone into Emma's face. Emma read the text that was on the screen, and a shiver of realization went up her spine. Sutton had used her supernatural powers to send the girls a text.

"I don't-"

"Is this your idea of a sick prank?" Laurel cut Emma off. Now Emma was confused.

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked.

"Oh don't act like you don't remember," Charlotte snorted sharply, more than a little miffed at the situation.

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about," Emma insisted.

"Sutton, cut the innocent act," Madeline spoke up.

"What act?"

"You should just be grateful we covered for you or you'd be in jail right now," Laurel added.

Now not only was Emma confused, but so was I. What were they talking about? Had I heard Laurel right? I'd be in _jail_ right now if they hadn't covered for me?

Emma stood there, shocked at what Laurel had said. _Jail_? What did Sutton _do_?

"You know what, just drop it," Charlotte said flatly. She turned on her heel and returned to her sleeping bag.

But Emma couldn't just drop it. Sutton did something. Something bad. And the rest of them were witnesses. But how did that connect with the text?

I was shocked, too. I couldn't remember what I did, only little flashes of a forest here and there. But then suddenly, a memory came flooding back to me like they had so many times before…

**A/N:** Okay stopping there. I know it's short, but I really needed to update this. I am planning on making it longer than I originally thought it would be. Be prepared for a Sutton Memory Chapter next! Please Review! Thanks!

-LP99


	4. Chapter 4: The Lying Game Retreat

**A/N: **Here's the Sutton Memory Chapter I promised! I am trying to keep as true to the style of the book as possible (which belongs to Sara Shepard), so it will be written like it was in the books. Hope you enjoy it! R/R!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Lying Game_ or any of its characters or plot lines. They belong to their creator and author Sara Shepard and HarperTeen. If you read it in the book, it's not mine. I am not doing this for money, only for fun and practice.

**Chapter 4: The Lying Game Retreat**

_I sit on the edge of a tree stump that serves as a stool as I sit next to the fire. The fire flickers brightly, casting long, eerie shadows around the circle. Charlotte, Madeline, and Laurel were all sitting around the fire as well, each munching on a s'more. We were on our annual Lying Game Retreat, something I had made up years ago. Only us four were allowed. The parents had to stay home or camp somewhere else miles away. _

"_Okay ladies," I say. "Time to plan the next prank." The girls finish off their treats in a hurry, excited to plan yet another infamous prank. As the leader, though, I had to approve it first. _

"_Any thoughts on the next victim?" I ask. Laurel's hand shoots into the air, waving around like some first grader eager to answer the question. I roll my eyes. _

"_Anyone _else_?" I ask, pointedly ignoring Laurel. Her hand slowly lowers, her eyes downcast and embarrassed. _

"_How 'bout that loser in our gym class?" Charlotte offers. "She seriously needs to learn that stuffing her bra isn't going to bring you any attention from boys." _

"_Oh my God, how horrible does that look?" Madeline chimes in. "You can totally tell she's stuffing her bra too, I mean come on, whose bra had that many wrinkles?" _

"_I know, right?" _

"_GIRLS!" I shout, startling them and snapping their attention back to me. "As much as I enjoy this tedious convo, I was thinking someone higher up on the food chain." Everyone exchanges glances, not quite sure who I was talking about. _

"_I was thinking of maybe Heather Smith," I announce. Charlotte lets out an exasperated sigh. _

"_Been there, pranked her. Got anyone new?" she asks, faking a yawn as if to punctuate how bored she was. _

"_Trust me, Char, this will be oh so different," I say, feeling my Signature Sutton mischievous smile cross my face. _

"_But Sutton," Laurel begins tentatively. "Heather is the captain of the cheerleading squad. Are you sure you want to mess with her?" _

"_Pfft. Whatever. _I'm_ the head of the dance committee. Or did you forget what an honor that was?" I snap back. "Besides, a little birdie told me that she and Nisha Banerjee have started their own club, sort of like ours. Does the 'Divas of Deception' sound familiar?" The girls furrow their brows, making the connection between the names. _

"_We need to show them we can't be fooled with," I continue. "So I was thinking: the next time we see Heather, we teach her what it means to be an exclusive member of The L Game. What do you think?" I can almost see the wheels in their heads turning, formulating a plan worthy of The Lying Game. Soon enough, each of us were pouring out ideas, and a plan was taking shape. _

_Around midnight, we decide to head in to the tents. As we bank the fire for the night, I hear something coming from the woods, almost like a howl, but not quite. The rest of the girls hear it too, I can tell. It's kind of unnerving, and sends a chill up my spine. _

_But before we can head into the woods, the memory is ripped away from me. _

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please Review! Thanks!

-LP99


	5. Chapter 5: Nice Try, Sutton

**A/N: **Late update, I'm sorry. I had some major writer's block for this story. But here's another chapter to get you psyched for the winter premier of the show tonight!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Lying Game_ or any of its characters or plot lines. They belong to their creator and author Sara Shepard and HarperTeen. If you read it in the book, it's not mine. Any and all brand names mentioned in this story are not mine. I don't own them. They are sole property of their respective owners and companies. I am not doing this for money, only for fun and practice.

**Chapter 5: Nice Try, Sutton**

I blinked my eyes a few times. What the _hell_ had I planned to do to Heather? And what connection did it have with the text I had sent?

Emma took her spot next to Charlotte, deciding to listen to her and drop the subject. "Well… uh… what should we do now?"

"Don't know, don't care," Charlotte replied irritably. _Oh-kaaay._

Jeez, Char sure could get miffed at a little prank, I thought. Wonder how many times that had happened before? And if I paid the price for it?

The girls decided to finish watching the movie that had been popped into the DVD player beforehand. But Emma wasn't really paying any attention. When the movie ended, she noticed all the rest of the girls had fallen asleep. Emma slowly got up and quietly padded to her laptop and turned on the computer, logging onto the IM window.

_MercerDiva18: Sutton, are you there?_

_SuttoninAZ: Yeah. I have something to tell you… _

_MercerDiva18: What? _

_SuttoninAZ: Well… I kinda got this memory… and in it me and the girls planned on pranking this girl named Heather Smith. I don't really remember what we planned, but whatever it was, it was B-A-D. _

_MercerDiva18: You're sure you can't remember anything? _

_SuttoninAZ: Positive. And the way they reacted to that text – totally not the reaction I was expecting – obviously someone got hurt… or killed. _

Emma paused for a moment, thinking.

_MercerDiva18: I'll keep an eye on them. I'm meeting Ethan tomorrow night. Maybe he has some insight on what happened. _

_SuttoninAZ: Ok. Night, Emma. _

_MercerDiva18: Goodnight, Sutton. _

_SuttoninAZ: Don't let the Bitches bite ;D _

_MercerDiva18: Haha, very funny. Goodnight. _

Emma clicked off of the IM and quietly returned to where the girls were sleeping, lying down on her own sleeping bag.

She didn't know one of them was awake, and saw the entire IM conversation.

**A/N: **I realize it's short, but I'm having trouble figuring out what should come next. Any ideas, suggestions, comments, and concerns you leave in a review would be helpful :) Credit will be given where credit is due to all ideas and suggestions I use. Thanks!

-LP99


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